Process of making uncarbureted water gas



March 25, 1930. I

D. .l YOUNG PROCESS oF MAKING UNCARBURETED wAfrER GAS Filed July 6, 1925 LO J/ O 6 6 leb-:ii

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insista garant oer-uca i' TAC01VIA,"WASHI1\TGTON, ASSIGNOR TO -YOUNG-WHITWELL GAS PROCESS C0., OFTACOMA, WASHINGTON 'rnocnss or MAKING UNCARBURETED wa'rna Gas appuqation filed July e, 1925. serial No. 41,733.

The invention relates toa backrun process of making -uncarbureted or blue Water gas. This application is a continuation in part of my application, Serial No. 570,207, tiled June 22, 1922,'in which I have described backrun methods of makin combustible gas which may be either car ureted or uncarbureted water gas. -The specific claims of the parent application are directed to the making of carbureted waterv gas, whereas the claims of the present case are directed to the making of uncarbureted or blue water gas, which is produced when no carbureting material is added, during either a forward or a back run.

l will describe the process primarily with reference to the usual three shell ,carbureted water gas plant set forth in the parent application. Such a plant consists of a single gen.-

erator, a carburetor and a superheater with backrun .l connections. Obviously, however, where uncarbureted Water gas is being produced the shells ordinarily designated as the carburetor and superheater function as pri-v mary and secondary heat interchangers, al-

though, for the convenience of this descrip- Y tion, the terms carburetor andA superheater vwill be retained. The two heat interchangf ers may be combined into one, if desired", with the elimination of one shell.

This application is also a continuation in part of my application, Serial No. 7 52,104,

filed November 25, 1924:, the specic claims of which application are directed to a backrun process of making vcarbureted .water gas, in which water is substituted for steam during the back or down run.`

One of the objects of the'invention is to.

simplify the making of water gas, andfto utilize a'larger portion of the heat than is utilized in ordinary water gas operation.

'A further object of the invention is to povide a process formaking water gas which vmay be carried out with but slight modificafractory material, which may be contained in a suitable chamber to which secondary air may be admitted for further combustion of the blast gases. l

l When the fuel bed has reached the proper stage of ignition and the checker Work in the combustion chamber or heat regenerator is suitably heated, the air blast is discontinued, i

and steam or water is introduced into the combustion chamber or heat regenerator containing the. heated checkerwork. Where 'water is employed it is thus transformed into' steam7 which is then passed over the heated The process may be carried out in many different forms of apparatus, the important features being an upright generator containing carbonaceous fuel,and a secondary combustion chamber in communication therewith andl containing c heckerworkv or other'refractory material. Y

The invention will bemore clearlyy understood by reference to the accompanying drawings inwhich' are shown two forms of apparatus in which the process may be conveniently carried out. l 'Y In thedrawings: Fig. l is .a central vertical section of a three shell plant comprising'the usual generator, carburetor and superheater, certain parts being in elevation, and Figi 2 is asimilar View showing a two shell set. The plant as illustrated in Fig.' 1 is the usual three shell carbureted water gas plant Ves with back `run connections, and consists ofa .water gas generator 1, a carburetor 2, and a superheater 3, these being of any standard or satisfactory type of construction. Obvi-l ously when making uncarbure'ted or blue water gas, as during a backrun, or whenever steam is supplied, and the carbureting step is omitted the shells 2 and 3 function as heat interchangers or regenerators, These are provided with the usual connections for the transfer of gas and air from one tothe other.

ThisV comprises a pipe 4 connecting the upper parts of the generator and carburetor and containing thereina valve 40. A. pipe il is also provided, connecting-the generator beneath the grate lLThis also is provided with a valve 42. elpipe as 43 is provided 'connecting the chambers 2O and 30 contained at the bottom of the carburetor and superlieater, respectively, with each other.

The upper part of the superheater is provided with the usual gas oE-take connection,

, as 31, and also with a stack valve, as 32, which .omitted entirely ina new plant intended only for vthe manufacture of uncarbureted gas. As, however, it is frequently desirable Ito change from carbureted water gas manufacture to uncarbureted water gas manufacture using the same plant, this means for supply inghydrocarbons is generally retained for occasional use.

AV steam pipe 6 is provided for supplying steam to the ottom of the generator and a like ipe 61 for supplying steam above the fuel ed of the generator. Valves control each of these steam pipes. A gas oE-take pipe 8 connects with the bottom of the generatcr, p

, irissupplied beneath the fuel bed of the generator for use lin blasting-,through pipe 0 controlled by valve 51. Supplemental air A supply pipe 52 connects with the upper part` o carburetor and is controlled byvalve 53.

vA supplemental air pipe 54e connects with the bottom of the superheater and is controlled by valve 55. l

The parts above described, with the exception of the otake pipe 8, are or may be of standard construction for illuminating gas plants, and when operated according to any process many of the above parts are functionless. For example, the oil supplydevice 22 is not used when blue water gas is being produced, but the plant as a whole is shown and the parts have been described for the purpose of illustration only.

Operating according to the usual practice, for a water as plant, air is iirst introduced for a period eneath the grate l1, and passes up through the fuel bed l2 during the blasting process. Supplemental air is also introduced through pipe 52 to the carburetor and through pipe 54 to the superheater in order to completely burn any combustible matter in the blast gases. This supplemental air is controlled by valves 53 and 55. rlhis blast gas would be passed over the piped to the carburetor, through the checkerwork 23 therein, taken through the pipe. 43 to the superheater. 3 and up through the checker work 33 therein and out through the stack valve 32.

lin my process in common with the usual practice, the air blast may then be followed by a forward steam run steam being intro-` duced through the pipe 6 or 61. AThis steam is passed through the incandescent `fuel bed of the generator, whereby it is converted into water gas which may then be passed through the heat'interchangers 2 and 3 and withdrawn from the set through pipe 3l.

llii"`ca-rrying out my process, the blasting operation is preferably carried to a point where the checkerwork 'in both carburetor and superheater is raised to a somewhat higher temperature than would be required by the operation of the usual process.

The next step in my process consists in the introductionof steam or water, preferably in the form of a tine spray, into one of the combustion chambers containing the heated checkerwork'. As shown in lFig. l, the water is introducedthrough a pipe 62 to the top of the superheater. In this chamber, containing highly heated checkerwork, the water is at once converted into steam. rlhis steam is passed in a reverse direction to that usually employed, passing first through the superheater 3,.thenee through the carburetor 2, andv then finally through the incandescent fuel in the generator where it is broken up, the resultant gas being taken out at the point where air and steam would normally be introduced to the generator, in carrying out the usual water gas process, as by pipe 8.

This steam absorbs heat from the super@ l heater and the generator until it is highly superheated `V When it reaches the generator it comes. in contact with the coal or other Jfuel which is introduced thereto. This steam /is sutliciently hot to volatilize some of the constituents of the coal andvparticularly so, if the coal bev very finely reduced or powdered. f This step is known as the backrun, an may eitherl follow or precede the forward run, the order of gas making cycles being variable as desired.

YAny suitable and well known means for reversing the flow of gas through the entire plant may be employed. @rdinarily this result will be `accomplished by the use of valves 3a' and 70'which may be placed in the pipes 3 and `31 respectively, or, if desired, seal pots of any suitable construction may be used. @bviously by thus reversingthe flow of gas through the plant as a whole the necessity for reversing the flow within the generator itselfis avoided, and consequently the hot valve 40 of the -usual gas set is rendered ill@ i system at the top functionless or may be dispensed with entirely. The valve 40, pipe 4l and valve 42, which are parts of the old standard apparatus, are not essential to the operation of the present process, and may be eliminated, or may be employed in carrying out special cycles, when desired. WVhile I prefer to introduce Water intothe of the superheater through if desired, introduce Water arts of the system, as for ottom of the carburetor the pipe 62, I may, or steam atv other example, at the through pipe 72.A

In Fig. 2 is shown a simplified form of apparatus similar to that show n in Fig. l, but consisting of two shells only with the carburetor and certain parts of existing apparatus eliminated, which are unnecessary to the operation of my process. Parts of the apparatus which are the same .as in Fig. 1 are similarly numbered.

The operation of the plant is the same. Blast airis admitted to the fuel bed of the water gas generator through the ipe 50, and the blasting continued until the uel is vthoroughly ignited, the blast gases being passed through the pipe 4 into the combustion chamdier 3 containingcheckerwork 33, or other refractory material. Secondary air isadmitted through pipe 54 to insure combustion of the blast gases.

Then the blasting operation is complete, the air is eut oil at 50 and`54 and Wat-er or steam may be introduced intothe top of the combustion chamber 3 through pipe 62. Where Water is employed it is at once converted into steam and passes over the checkerwork 33 and through the fuel bed of the generator, ivater gas being Withdrawn from the generator through the pipe 8.

A forward steam run may be employed either before or after the backrun as set forth above.

It has been found that by introducing water in place of steam, a material saving of heat is accomplished as well as the elimination of apparatus such as steam boilers, which would otherwise be used. The term aqueous fluid is used as a generic term to designate both Water and steam.

In carrying out the process, any sort of solid fuel may be used, as coal, coke, peat, lignite, and the like, though coal is preferable.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. A three cycle process of making uncarburetedwater gas; one cycle consisting in air blasting the fuel bed of a single gas generator containing a bed of solid fuel and passing the resulting blast gases through a heat interchan ger, whereby the heat interchanger is highly heated; a second cycle consisting in making a forward steam run successively through the generator and the heat interchanger, the gas being Withdrawn from the end of the heat interchanger-remote from the generator; and the third cycle consisting of a backrun, comprising introducing Water into the end of the heat interchanger remote from the generator, whereby steam is produced, passing said steam successively through the heat interchanger and throng the fuel bed of the generator, ing the water gas generated during the backrnn directly from the gas generator, and passing it directly to a place of storage or use.

2. A three cycle process of making uncarbureted water gas; one cycle consisting in air blasting the fuel bed of a single gas generator containing a bed of solid fuel Aand passing the resulting blast gases through a heat interchanger, whereby the heat interchanger is highly heated, a second cycle consisting in making a. forward steam run successivelythrough the generator and the heat interchanger, the gas `being Withdrawn from the end of the heat interchanger remote from the generator, and the third cycle consisting of a backrun, comprising introducing aqueous fluid into the end of the heat interchanger remote from the generator, passing said aqueous fluid successively. through the heat interchanger and through the fuel bedof the generator, and withdrawing the Water gas generated during the backrun directly from the gas generator, and passing it directly to aplace of storage or use.

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature.

DANIEL J. YOUNG.

and Withdraw-- 

